NCLB scores released for area schools

“One of the interesting comparisons you can make is that you can see [the dip in scores] is a systems effect and not an isolated school effect,” said Jim Gilbert, director of elementary education for the Newton Community School District. “When we drop and the state drops, I see it more as a systemic issue.” 

In addition to the implications that lower scores statewide will have within individual school districts, Gilbert explained that the data found in this year’s NCLB Report Card will make political waves as well.

“This is going to put some pressure on the state legislature because last year Iowa was writing a waiver and it was denied based on political issues surrounding teacher pay, and not at the crux of student learning,” he said “The waiver, in and of itself, is to move the emphasis off of reaching a trajectory and rather allowing schools to measure the growth of their students.”

Over the summer, 32 states as well as Washington, D.C., were granted NCLB waivers; Iowa was the only state that had its application denied.  

Another important factor in considering Newton’s proficiency scores is the wide range of students Newton schools serve. While districts around Jasper County certainly harbor diversity, due to NCLB technicalities the scores of students that fall within certain demographics — free and reduced lunch students, for example — may not be recorded as such.

NCLB requires that school districts test upward of 30 students in any given demographic for the scores to be reported as an official subgroup that also must meet AYP; Newton is the only district in the county with enough students enrolled in special education programs to report these scores. 

“As long as you have 30 or more special education students in a grade level, their scores will count,” Parker said. “No district in the area, aside from those in Des Moines or Marshalltown, is going to have that many.” 

Furthermore, NCLB requires that any demographic subgroup within a district meet the same proficiency standards as the grade as a whole  – this means that students enrolled in special education, English Language Learners and those who qualify for free and reduced lunches are expected to perform at a proficiency level equivalent with every other student. Many Newton students that missed AYP fell into these demographics.

While these factors perhaps influenced the Newton Community School District’s NCLB performance in 2011-2012, superintendent Steve McDermott pointed out exactly what they’re not: excuses.

“We analyze all our data and we analyze the context but we are also very careful not to use any of these factors as excuses,” McDermott said. “We are focused on improving for our local students, so we’ll use this data as we can to keep improving. The truth of the matter is that we’re trying to get better no matter what. We have made great strides within the district in closing gaps between different groups of students, and we’re going to continue to do that.”

McDermott noted that one of such gaps — the gap between students eligible for free and reduced lunches and those not eligible — became more pronounced in Newton following Maytag’s 2007 closing and the subsequent elimination of nearly 1,800 jobs.

“One of the more remarkable gap closings is that between students in poverty and not in poverty,” Gilbert added. “We’ve been able to close that gap so students in poverty are performing more similarly to students not in poverty. The special education gap is still there, so we’re working on ways to close that as well.”

The most notable change that will come about following this most recent NCLB Report Card, though, is the implementation of a strategic education plan within Newton’s schools. 

“We are in the process of developing a plan due to our [DINA-3] status,” McDermott said. “This plan has to be submitted by Nov. 1, and we’re working with Department of Education and [Area Education Agency] officials to review local data and trends to identify high priorities and establish a plan.”

Gilbert explained that while the comprehensive plan’s deadline falls at the beginning of next month, many of the changes outlined in the plan are already in place.

“Many of the components of the plan are being implemented now,” he said. “We’ve been responding to [students’ scores] before this notice … and we’ve done some pretty extensive research on instructional practices, emergent reading skills, writing skills and mathematic skills. We’ve taken measure in the last couple years that have been pretty significant changes in our district. Now we just need some longevity to get some longitudinal data to say, ‘okay, what’s working and what’s not?’”

While it’s easy to get lost amid the facts and figures that govern NCLB and its objectives, McDermott explained that the emphasis of the district’s efforts really come down to the students and teachers within Newton’s classrooms.

“We have to keep in mind that with every number and every score and every piece of data, there are names and faces and personalities,” he said. “Every child is important. We watch individual data as well to determine what certain individual students need, and that sometimes gets lost in the shuffle.

“There’s no statistic that shows the efforts being made by teachers,” he added. “Honestly, they’re probably working harder than ever before and I know they’re using more advanced methods than ever before, so we just want to do everything we can to improve.”

Nicole Wiegand can be contacted at (641) 792-3121 ext. 422 or via email at nwiegand@newtondailynews.com.